A Wedding
by mydearwaltson
Summary: This is Ariel and Eric's wedding. A wedding on a boat, the perfect location for them both. Rated T just in case
1. Preparations

**This is a 3 chapter version of Ariel and Eric's wedding.**

**I do not own anything, Disney does.**** Enjoy!**

* * *

There's nothing more in this world she needed. Everything was right here. Soon she'd be married and she could barely hold in her excitement and joy and, with her nature, she didn't. For the past couple of weeks Ariel had a certain sparkle in her eyes, a sparkle that was different from all the others.

The kind of sparkle that never came when she would visit fountains and museums and pretty much everything else.

No, this one was much happier, and filled with love, excitement and who knows what else.

Ariel would skip around the hallways and sing to herself. Her footsteps had a special hop in them as she pranced down the corridors.

Eric felt tingly and warm whenever Ariel merely walked by.

There was always a glow that radiated from her that filled his heart with joy. Yes, Eric was a lucky man. Only she could bring out the smile in his lips that no one in the entire kingdom had ever seen before. Not even Grimsby.

. . .

Eric woke up and instantly felt his heart thumping. Today's the day. This is the beginning of the best day of his life.

The faint smell of fresh, warm breakfast pastries filled the room and the early sunlight washed through the windows.

He inhaled the buttery scent taking in all its pleasure but then almost gagged in disgust, sick from the delicious scent. He was so nervous that he completely lost his appetite and suddenly felt nauseous, but there wasn't any reason to be.

They both knew they loved each other, but something in the back of his mind told him something was bound to go wrong.

He reached his arms up to put them behind his head and lay in bed for a few moments processing today's event.

He was getting married.

Almost every day he did the same thing, lie in bed a moment and count down the days to their wedding day. Always excited to get through the day so it would come faster. And now, he had to admit, he was a little scared too.

He stared absently at the sea outside his window, calming down ever so slightly with the view. The sea could always make him feel better, it was like a second home to him.

Then he smiled from ear to ear. Nothing could go wrong as long as she loved him.

Quickly getting up to greet his bride-to-be, he put a fresh white shirt on, rolled up the sleeves and changed into his blue trousers, almost tripping over himself with excitement. Just as he was coming out the door Grimsby, suddenly by his side, put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

It was almost as if he was anticipating Eric's actions.

"Eric, we have to get you ready. Your breakfast will be served shortly but you can't see your bride until this afternoon." Eric's eyes dropped.

He wanted to see her just once before the wedding, to say something clever like 'see you at the altar' or even just to see her face would make his day.

He opened his mouth to protest but then closed it realizing there was no point in arguing with the man.

"Alright Grim, let's go," he replied automatically.

Still feeling the wooziness from this morning, he had a hard time walking, his legs felt like jelly and he could feel the anxiety creeping up on him.

Just pondering the thought of Ariel in her wedding dress made him swoon. He had never seen the thing but it must be beautiful. He hoped there wouldn't be too much make up on her face, personally, he thought she looked wonderful without it.

Then he started thinking about what it would be like seeing her walk down the aisle, it was a blurry vision because he had no idea what she would look like. There was only her angelic face and her fiery red hair that he had already memorized long ago.

Then he shook the wonderful thoughts from his head and told himself to focus on other things. He would never be able to concentrate if she was floating around his mind all day.

The two of them walked into the dining room and Carlotta set down two trays of eggs and toast.

Breakfast was difficult but manageable, he ate the toasty warm bread and eggs hesitantly but eventually he finished the whole plate. While popping grapes into his mouth, Eric and Grimsby continued to talk about preparations and what was in store for him.

According to Grim's schedule, Eric had three jobs that day, they were to get dressed, be on time and stay presentable. Easy enough. He traced circles on the table with his finger thinking of what he could do with his spare time. Maybe he could take Max for a walk, yeah, he'd love that.

Full and ready to start the day, Eric stood up, nodded to Grimsby, thanked Carlotta and left the room to find something to do, allowing himself to think about Ariel once more. There wasn't anything really to concentrate on anyways.

* * *

Ariel woke up late that morning. The sunlight was seeping through the thin curtains and she sighed cheerfully, today is the day of the wedding.

Ariel felt fairly relaxed but confident in that moment. She felt tired, but there was no way she was falling asleep again. She sat up, rubbed her eyes open and leaned her head up against the headboard of her bed. The room was bathed in a yellowy glow from the blend of the curtains and the sun, it was like the whole room was telling her it's going to be a great day. Then she closed her eyes again in bliss, soaking up the faint light coming from the windows.

She never felt the need to get up quite yet so she sat there with the blanket pulled up to her neck, cocooning the rest of her body, while one arm stayed out from under the covers and stroked the soft fabric. She wondered if Eric was up yet, he tended to wake up earlier than she did.

Then the peaceful silence was broken when there was a feeble knock on the door. Ariel lifted her head slightly and slowly opened her eyes. A small elder woman with graying hair popped her head in.

"Excuse me dear, are you awake? We should be getting you ready for your big day!" she said in a sweet voice.

Ariel smiled kindly and replied, "I'm awake"

"I'll leave you alone to get dressed and wait for you out here," and the door closed with a creak.

Being a bit groggy from her sleep, she got up lazily and strode over to her closet which held dresses of different sizes and colours. Many of them never suited her fancy but there were a few she had taken a liking to.

Running her fingers along the several outfits she generally wore, a light gold one caught her eye. She pulled it out to see the beautiful dress.

The corset was a dark gold colour and the sleeves were light yellow, same with the rest of it. It was feather-light and flowing, enabling the person enough room to do anything in. This would definitely do.

After getting dressed Ariel still felt the need to wake herself up. It didn't feel like the most wonderful morning. She had hardly slept last night. So she went over to her bathroom and ran the faucet. She gathered as much water as possible into her fingers and splashed her face, then continued to wash away all the sleepiness.

The water was cold and refreshing, it made her feel much more alive. Now that she was awake, her feelings poured out into her expression. A wide smile was spread across her face and she felt tingly and excited.

When she came out of the room, sure enough, the woman was on the other side of the hallway, waiting and talking with a younger maid.

"Hi!" Ariel called out. The woman looked over abruptly and waved her hand to tell her to come over.

As Ariel happily strode over she was looking at the younger woman, she seemed to be in her thirties. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail at the back of her head and her bangs were held back by a lovely white flower barrette. Her green eyes had a gentle feel to them when she turned her head to see her.

"Hello! We are here to make you look extra special today," the young woman said smiling, "After all, it is an extra special day!" She giggled, and Ariel let out a chuckle as well, she could already tell that this lady was a very enthusiastic person.

"I'm Flora and this is Celeste," gesturing to herself and the elder woman beside her.

"Nice to meet you! Now what's on the to-do list?" Ariel asked bracing herself for whatever could be on it. Who knows what the humans did at their weddings? Ariel certainly didn't know and she never bothered to ask, she wanted it to be a surprise.

The women spilled out the whole thing. Ariel had her whole day filled with things to do, allowing only about a full hour's rest before the ceremony. She gulped and asked gingerly, "Do I get to see Eric at all?"

"Oh dear, you'll see him at the ceremony!" said Celeste chuckling, "Trust me, it will be worth the wait," she smiled a wrinkled but reassuring smile and Ariel sighed and gave herself to the maids to do their work.

They all left to board the boat so the ladies could get her ready inside. The whole thing was going to be a surprise for everyone, especially Eric, plus they wouldn't want her walking around in a wedding dress.

A handful of women were scurrying around franticly making Ariel look her very best. She thought she looked fine the way she was.

She never liked wearing mascara, it was sticky and it glued her lashes together, plus it clumped, so she asked that they lay off on that. The ladies insisted but Ariel was stubborn, mascara was not touching her eyelashes. So they backed off on it and continued to touch up her face. Only adding small amounts of the stuff to highlight her features the way, they knew, both Ariel and Eric liked it.

Her hair didn't take much of an effort, they all agreed that to have her hair down was best. Only brushing and leaving in a few hair pins to keep it from falling into her eyes.

Ariel could still smell the sea as they stroked her beautiful red locks. The scent would forever be imprinted on her and there was no way of getting rid of it and no way she would ever try to. Her eyes brightened at the smell of her home and she remembered that her family would be coming to the ceremony as well, along with a few of her friends, like, Flounder and Sebastian. She was so glad all of her loved ones would be there.

It also reminded her of Eric again, he loved the sea. It was a place where he found peace, and the same went for her.

Her thoughts trailed off but she couldn't shake Eric from her head. She was so excited to meet him this afternoon.

Every once in a while, Carlotta would bring her toast, pieces of fruit and small sips of tea when there was time, to keep her from getting hungry or thirsty. They wouldn't want a malnourished bride on their hands.

Finally it was on to the dress.

When they brought it out, she took in the beautiful gown she had chosen. It was really fit for a princess. Ariel gazed at the detail of the waist and neckline, a blue ribbon delicately lined on the edges. Simple but flattering.

It was a rather large and poufy dress but it served quite well the occasion.

"It's so pretty," Ariel finally whispered marveling at, not just the dress, but everything that would be happening in only a couple of hours.

She could feel the handful of helpers smiling behind her, "Well, why don't we see how beautiful it is with you in it?" said Carlotta in a motherly tone. She always had that kind of personality about her. She was warm, caring and always there.

The dress slipped on without a fight and Celeste placed the shiny gold tiara at the top of her head. Ariel looked at herself in the tall mirror, she looked absolutely stunning.

The smile painted on her face was genuine and she could feel tears of joy coming to her eyes. One managed to break the surface and started to roll down her cheek.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want to ruin your makeup dear," said Flora as she gently dabbed the tear from her cheek with a cloth. She smiled at Ariel, proud of the team's work.

It seemed like only yesterday she was swimming in the sea with her sea-green fins and purple sea-shells, searching for treasure in shipwrecks with Flounder. Avoiding her father's watchful eye to go explore and collect things from the human world and escape to her little grotto. Dreaming of being where the people are.

She glanced at her legs which were hidden behind the swells of her dress remembering the tail she once had.

Now she was a part of that world and she felt like her life was complete. Well, almost. She still had to marry Eric, then it would be perfect.

Flora brought out a pair of white high-heels and placed them in front of Ariel to which she lifted the skirt of her gown to reveal her bare feet. The finishing touch.

She still smiled at her toes and she probably would for a long time. They always were so fascinating. Almost everything amazed her, giving herself a child-like quality, which Eric particularly loved.

She put on the shoes and felt a bit wobbly but Celeste helped her regain her balance.

Ariel felt herself giggle and returned her eyes to the woman in the mirror. This woman was no longer a 16 year old girl fighting her way to true love and happiness. This was a beautiful young lady destined to walk down the aisle to true love and happiness.

The butterflies that appeared in her stomach were frantic now. She didn't know why she felt so nervous all of a sudden.

Her cheeks flushed red and she started to feel beads of sweat forming at her brow.

Only an hour left.

* * *

Eric was pacing in his assigned room inside the large boat. The smell of the sea wafting in through the windows did nothing for his anxiety.

Max was following his urgent footsteps, tail still wagging. He seemed to want to help him somehow.

Eric looked at him, bent down and took Max's face in his hands, "Thanks for being here, buddy," he said to the shaggy dog, rustling his gray and white fur.

Only an hour left.

He peered once more at the mirror making sure his suit fitted nicely and was perfect. The gold trimming and blue details matched nicely to the white coat and blue pants.

But he never really liked gloves. They were uncomfortable and restricted movement, plus he felt that his hands needed to breathe all of the time.

He had a sudden interest in his outfit now. Everything had to be perfect if it was going to be anything close to Ariel.

Then he heard the door open.

Grimsby was there, "Eric, it's time," he said failing to control his wobbly voice. It was obvious he had been crying not long ago.

Eric didn't ask about Grim's state, he didn't think he'd want to talk about it. Instead he walked over to him and gave him a hug. The only thing he could think of that said a million words without actually speaking.

Grimsby hesitated at first but thoughtfully patted his back in acceptance. This was unusual. They never hugged. It was only on occasion, once or twice before. He could feel the smile Grimsby was displaying behind him and the relief that was washing over him.

When Eric pulled away he saw Grim's expression. He was so happy. He could already guess why.

Grim was like a father to him, with his own having died little over ten years ago, Grimsby was the one to raise him and teach him almost everything he knew. And now he was getting married.

"Thank you," was all he could say to the man.

The light from the sun high in the sky filled the whole room. There were only a couple of tiny portholes for the light to come in, but it served the small room nicely. Eric always liked spring. It made for great sailing, not too cold, not too hot, and the sea was fairly calm as well.

The weather was exceptionally great today though. Perfect for a wedding.

"Come on, I've got a bride waiting for me," Eric said with a new found confidence. This was going to be the best day of his life. And something like sweaty palms or butterflies was not going to ruin it.

Grimsby nodded and they left the room.


	2. The Wedding

**This chapter is a bit on the short side because most of us have seen the movie and all of that, ****plus I tend to write better when I'm going a little bit more freestyle **

**so here's the wedding! I hope you all like it!**

* * *

Eric walked through the door and out onto the deck of the ship and peeked behind the wooden wall that separated him from the guests. There were two walls, one for him and one for Ariel, both at the back of the area. A good-sized gap in-between them was where they would join each other to walk down the aisle.

He was taken aback by the decorations and the organisation of this entire event.

The neatly aligned seats and the large blue curtains, there was so much detail that they even had wrapped vines around the pillars.

The decorating was beautifully coordinated, he knew Ariel had picked out the right colors and ideas for them. It was perfect.

Here, he could hear the motion of the waves. They were so gentle you could hardly feel the boat was swaying.

Eric breathed in the salty sea air and he was so glad their wedding was outside and at sea.

He couldn't think of any other place he would have it, he had always dreamed it would be on a boat.

Back then, he didn't realize his bride would have been a former mermaid, but that seemed to make the idea all the more convenient.

When he righted himself, preparing for the figure that he would soon see in front of him, he turned away from the wall and stood as straight as he could to make the best impression possible for his bride.

He quickly checked for any faults in his outfit, a missing button, dirt, or anything like that. But then Grimsby put a hand on his shoulder, "Eric, you look fine"

Eric chuckled and turned his head to see the smiling old man looking at him with fatherly eyes. He smiled back and said, "Thanks Grim," he patted his hand and Grim pulled it back down. He was definitely ready for this.

Then the music started playing and that was his cue to walk into view.

Eric took a step forward into the light coming in from the gap, not even thinking of turning to the audience. The only thing he could think about was Ariel.

When he saw her figure in the shadow of the wall, his breathing almost stopped completely. Still he stood straight and tall.

He didn't even need to try to put on his best smile.

The first thing he saw was the white dress as she gracefully walked out into the light. For a second, Eric thought she was an angel. As his eyes traveled up to her face he took in all of her beauty.

The lower part of the beautiful white wedding gown was like a cloud that enveloped her legs and feet and her delicate hands were folded in front of her a bit nervously which was adorable.

When Eric saw her face he could only hope his expression mirrored the awe and excitement that her's displayed.

It was far greater than any he had seen, and far greater than any he had ever shown. But, still, he was sure that this was the biggest smile he'd ever worn.

The makeup, gladly, was kept to a minimum and her hair was luscious and flowing like always. A sparkling, golden tiara was perched upon her head connected to a veil that went all the way down to the tips of her red hair.

Her blue eyes sparkled and her red lips were curved into a huge smile.

It took a moment for Eric to remember what was happening but then held his arm out to her and she took it eagerly.

As they were walking down the aisle, Eric could hardly take his eyes off of Ariel, she didn't seem to want to take her eyes off of him either. He only looked away to see if they were both walking in a straight line towards the priest. Then he turned his attention to her again.

By the time they reached the priest, tears were forming in his eyes, his heart was racing and he had to tell himself to breathe every few seconds.

Everything was mostly a blur, the only thing he could grasp was that when he, himself said, "I do," it was the most sincere thing he'd ever said.

And when Ariel said, "I do," she said it with the same sincerity.

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," and he eagerly bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.

The kiss was broken by Max, of course, giving the both of them kisses and the crowd erupted in cheers and they all celebrated. Hats were thrown, joyful tears were shed, and the odd whistle was heard.

He could hear the merpeople down below cheering as well and he let Ariel go over to the edge of the ship where she said goodbyes and blew kisses to each of her sisters.

Several guests came to greet Eric and wish him happiness, then went down to the large room inside the boat prepared for the reception.

When he looked back up at Ariel, she was giving a bright yellow fish, that he assumed was the famous guppy, Flounder, a kiss on the nose and his eyes widened in shock.

Fish weren't supposed to be out of water, it was nice to know her friend was kind of risking his life to say goodbye.

When her father came to say goodbye, a spiral of water held him up.

He knew that, from now on, whenever anything had merpeople or fish or the sea involved, it would be something magical.

Eric watched them as she hugged her father tightly and heard her whisper, "I love you, Daddy," to him and he knew that her family was extremely important to her, which made him swell with happiness.

He knew that she was now even closer with her family, a characteristic that was always something he knew he loved in a girl.

When she pulled away from the hug, her father, King Triton, turned his attention to Eric and he saw that Ariel's eyes were watery when she turned as well. Eric bowed asking for his approval and Triton nodded back. He took one last look at Ariel and went back down to the water to join his six other daughters.

As Eric walked up to join her in waving goodbye, Ariel blew a kiss down to her father. Then she looked up to him with a satisfied smile and put her arm around the one he was offering. They both raised their hands up high and waved together.

To add the perfect touch to their wedding, King Triton took his trident and sent a brightly colored rainbow into the sky, as if it was his parting gift to the two newlyweds.

Sailing off into the sea, they stopped waving and exchanged loving glances.

Eric felt that his whole life was complete. Ariel was practically his entire existence now and he would never let her forget that, so he pulled her up into another kiss to tell her and she happily returned it.


	3. Reception

**I think this chapter compensates for the last one, enjoy!**

* * *

When he left Ariel for the first time that night, it was so she could get into her special reception dress, another gown he had not yet seen.

For some reason, he felt nervous when she wasn't with him.

He was mindlessly running the tip of his index finger around the edge of his glass, then he started to lightly tap his foot, and before he knew it, he was chewing his lip.

He stopped instantly when he realized what he was doing and went to watching the guests dance in the large dance floor inside the huge boat. How they fit a room like this inside here, he didn't know, but it didn't worry him the slightest.

There was the band playing in the background. It was a jolly sailor's tune that he'd known for several years.

The guests seemed to love it and were dancing enthusiastically to the cheerful song.

Some of his friends invited him to come dance and he thought about it. He saw no use in doing nothing so he agreed and gladly joined them all on the floor. There was a dance that everyone knew, a dance that worked with almost every song there was. It involved jumping and twirling, switching places and plenty of laughter.

After a few minutes of that, someone started to tap their glass.

Everything stopped, the music, the dancing and the talking. Everyone looked up to the person who wanted the attention, it was Carlotta.

Eric slinked up to the front of the room where she was standing and waited for her announcement.

"May I present, Princess Ariel!" She said in an eager tone.

His face lit up with excitement.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for. When everyone started to clap, Carlotta gestured to the doorway and out into the light of the ballroom came his princess.

Her head was bent down in a humble and modest bow and Eric hurried over to her, picked her up by the waist and twirled her around with her sparkly, pale turquoise dress fluttering behind her.

When he put her down, he bent down to kiss her again. But this kiss wasn't as special as they usually were.

Here, he knew all eyes were on the two of them, watching their every move. He could feel it in Ariel's lips too, she was thinking the same thing.

When they pulled away, he examined the dress and noticed her sweet, gentle curves beneath it, then his heart started racing and he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. He quietly cleared his throat and smiled at her and she gave a small, nervous giggle. He took her hand, entwined their fingers and lead her out onto the dance floor.

As they walked into the middle, everyone moved out of their way and created a fairly large circle. Both he and Ariel were taking side glances to see if anyone else was going to dance with them, but everyone wanted to watch the two of them dance into their happily ever after.

The pressure was mounting but he had to stay calm for Ariel's sake.

He flashed her a reassuring smile and brought her hand up to the side, there was no need to say anything. Then he tentatively placed his other hand on her waist. His heart rate doubled but he managed to keep his head.

He could feel the contours of her body against his hand and he tensed a moment before relaxing his grip.

When he looked up at her she lifted her small, delicate hand and placed hit on his cheek comfortingly and grinned.

She knew he was nervous.

He sighed and leaned into her hand feeling a bit more confident with her touch, then took hold of the situation.

Pulling her closer to him, she let go of his cheek and grabbed the skirt of her ballgown and they started to twirl.

Eric could hear hushed whispers and a few awed sighs coming from the crowd.

Ariel's eyes, blue as the sea, were twinkling with awe and delight and her smile said that she was as happy as can be.

He no longer felt as if he was being watched, he didn't care anymore. It was like he and Ariel were the only two in the room with the band playing the beautiful song. He pulled her even closer and bent down to nuzzle his nose in her hair.

She leaned in and pressed her warm cheek onto his chest. He felt relieved to have her in his arms, he knew that he would let nothing harm her in any way ever. For the rest of his life he would gladly protect her and comfort her no matter what.

He lifted his nose and pressed his cheek down on her head to make the position more comfortable and her head nestled nicely into the curve of his neck.

They were so close he could feel her breathing in and out.

He pondered breaking the silence between them, or was the moment too perfect to break with words?

But then, without another thought he blurted out, "I love you, Ariel," he bit his lip. Maybe it wasn't the right time for that.

He felt her giggle and she replied softly, "I love you too, Eric," he could sense the grin in her voice.

"Hey, how about you and I step outside or something?" Eric asked, lifting his head from their position, "It's getting kind of stuffy in here," really, he just wanted some time alone with her.

Ariel looked up at him and for a second, desire flashed through her eyes, but then she blinked and went to nodding, "I agree, let's go!"

Still holding hands, Ariel started forward but then stopped. He assumed she thought it was rude to leave in the middle of a song like that.

Reassuring that it was fine, Eric bowed and nodded to the crowd, indicating that they had finished dancing and Ariel curtsied, catching on. The crowd broke out into a hushed applause and went back to dancing themselves.

Once they were certain no one was watching, they snuck away.

Of course, he knew Ariel didn't know this boat well enough to lead them out of it so when she reached the door she stopped again to wait for Eric. When he caught up he took her hand and they wove through the halls to the stairs that would lead them out and onto the deck, Ariel was following close behind in his wake.

"Gosh, this dress is a hassle…" she mumbled. He looked back to her and she continued, lightly pounding her fists on the thick fabric, "Can you wait here for just a minute?"

"Uh… Sure," he answered oddly and she picked up the skirt of her gown and wandered off peering in doors.

When he realized what she was probably doing, he attempted to stop her. Was she really going to take off her dress?

His cheeks felt hot again and he touched her arm and she spun around.

When she saw his worried expression she scoffed, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing!"

He gave up, he trusted her to not completely embarrass herself, but he was left dumbfounded when she entered an empty closet.

He started to laugh it off. Of course Ariel would do something like this.

When she reappeared a few moments later, he was relieved that she was fully dressed but was shocked to see she was wearing almost a completely different dress. It was the same color and everything, but the large skirt was gone and replaced by a relaxed one that went down to her ankles. It framed her figure extremely well and he could faintly see the shape of her slender legs beneath it.

He flushed again and looked to her for an explanation.

"The dress was made so that I could take off the huge skirt," she flashed a smile and twirled around, the ends of the dress lifted slightly to reveal more of her legs.

"Well, you look beautiful," Eric whispered to her and grabbed her hand again to continue their walk.

When they reached the stairs, he motioned to them, "Ladies first!" he said in a hushed but playful tone.

She giggled, rolled her eyes and started up the staircase.

When they reached the open air the sun was barely in the sky and the sunset was casting beautiful, warm colors across the clouds.

An enchanting blend of orange, pink and lavender.

Eric watched as Ariel eagerly placed herself at the edge of the boat, leaning slightly over the railing, marveling at the gorgeous evening sky.

He often found himself staring at her whenever she witnessed beautiful, yet overlooked, things like this. She had this excitement that was child-like and a fascination with everything new to her.

Now they were all alone. There were just the peaceful sounds of the waves to listen to.

He silently walked up to her and snuck his hands around her waist.

She jumped at his touch, and he laughed and playfully kissed her cheek.

If there was one thing he loved to do, it was to surprise her.

She twisted around in his arms and gave him a look. He let go and backed away, he wouldn't want to be attacked on his wedding day.

But then, without a warning, she put on a wry smile and pounced at him, crashing her lips onto his, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Eric stumbled back, eyes wide with shock but then he closed them again and put his arms around her legs to help her stay up.

The kiss broke when he couldn't stop laughing.

The laughter died down and he looked at her, pausing for a moment to gaze into her piercing, yet soft blue eyes, then he leaned in to kiss her again.

He reluctantly broke the kiss and set her back onto the ground where she immediately sat down on the floor then patted the space beside her.

He lifted his eyebrow, questioning her choice of seating but then sat down as well.

As soon as he was comfortably on the floor, she maneuvered her head onto his lap.

Her hair was spilled over his legs but she didn't seem to mind and neither did he. They both sat there for an hour or so, talking but Eric was mostly consumed in playing with her hair.

Combing it with his fingers and twirling it around his pinky, her hair showed no signs of tangles.

Growing tired of her hair, he occupied himself by probing her angelic face. Her eyes were shut as he gently traced, with his fingers, every angle he could touch. Her jaw, her nose, her cheeks and eventually her lips.

She continued to giggle and he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. If only all nights could be as perfect as this one.

Finally the sun rested passed the horizon and the only light given was the pale, blue moonlight.

Ariel suddenly shivered. Eric hadn't noticed the chill of the night because of his suit, all Ariel had on was a dress with flimsy, thin sleeves.

He quickly sat her up and removed his jacket and wrapped it around her like a blanket.

"Thanks," she said gratefully but he noticed the concern in her eyes, "Won't you get cold?"

She motioned to his torso.

He was wearing a dress shirt underneath; really, he was feeling a bit too warm. He looked at his shirt then back up to her.

With one quick scoop, he caught her and pulled her onto his lap. He leaned forward to touch his forehead to her's, "I'm fine, Ariel. It's you I'm worried about."

She smiled and leaned into his touch. He noticed a trace of desire in her movement and leaned in to give her a kiss.

The scenery provided the romance for their special moment.

One hand went up to his head and knitted her fingers into his hair and held him there, the other went up to the back of his neck. Her warm touch relaxed him and he pulled her closer, feeling her steady breathing.

This kiss was nothing intense, but still, all the more romantic.

When they separated, his longing for her deepened, but he knew he would be able to experience all of her wonders soon enough.

He blushed furiously and smirked at the thought, then pushed it away. There was no need for him to think about that now.

Ariel pulled the jacket closer to her and attempted to tuck her legs under herself as a shield from the bitter cold.

He was concerned for her sake, "Let's get you inside, you'll catch cold if you stay out here any longer"

He lifted her up, still cradled in his arms, and walked down the stairs and back to their party.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the wedding! Let me know what you think of this story and my writing**

**Also, just to clarify: no hurtful reviews please, thanks**

**have a magical day!**


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